The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1887-08-26
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent
WAsuINGToN n O. Auo II 1897

from our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, ID. C., Aug. IL, 1887.
In my last letter wrote of the land
surveying fraudulent accounts from CAL
lfornia, which had been worked over by
reform" Democrats, years after the
accounts had been paid, and payment
secured a second time. The affair is
yelled in such mystery that am only
able to state the amount of loss, SIC, 600,
sustained from this source by the gov
eminent; it is not improbable that fur
Their and fuller particulars will soon be
forthcoming. Frauds and Irregularities
in the public service seem to be the ord
er, or rather the disorder, of the day.
AS the baseballists have it. the treasury
and interior departments have had their
"innings," it is now the turn of the war
department, and it comes bobbing up,
first, with the vanished $1,000 whiChlan
army paymaster permitted Wyoming
Territory cowboy to "rob" him of; it has
been decided that that officer was too
careless with this large sum ofimoney
and he has been relieved from duty till
he or his bondsmen replace the loss.
Second, with the irregularities-not to
use harsher term-in the quartermast-
er generals department; the veterinary
surgeon was CONTAINED to resign, be-
cause he had been keeping a private
livery stable at the expense of the gov
eminent, pleading ignorance of the law
as his reason for such reprehensible
conduct; still, he was allowed to depart
in peace; then the scandal caused by
the army officers using the teams of the
department for purely private purposes
such as hauling building materials for
their residences and fertilizers for their
gardens, etc. And, lastly, the disallow-
ance by the controller of the treasury,
of the bills for the purchase of horses
for the personal use of Mr.. Endicott,
the Mugwump secretary of war.
1t may seem cruel in Inc, but, shall
| also have to ventilate little fraud that
has just come to the surface IN the de-
dartment presided over by the dudish
Whitney, of Standard Oil fame. Pay
master George r. Watkins, United
States Navy, has been dismissed the
service by a court-martial for the follow
ing good and sufficient reasons: Issuing
clothes and supplies to sailors and mar
| nd .har hn noh "a
buying coal above market rates and OF
certifying falsely contrary to facts,
charging cash payments to dead men, OF
other similar charges and of disobedi-
ence of orders. Besides being dismissed
the paymaster must serve his country
three years in the penItentiary. His
clerk, convicted of forgery and malici-
Gus destruction of public records, was
sentenced TO four years in prison and to
pay fine of 81 600. The President has
RENTED the fine and reduced the I'm.
prisonment to two years.
Writing of irregularities" reminds
me of a case that excites much comment
in the interior department-thato fJno
B. Riley, superintendent of Indian
schools, who, while receiving salary oil
S., 600 a year, has been absent several
months at his home in Plattsburg, N. Y.
The only known reason for his action,
which appears rather trivial, is that
there is difference of opinion as to the
superintendent precise authority.
Mr.. Amos Hadley is the second Re-
publican chief clerk of the interior de.
partment to resign during Cleveland's
term and | suppose some other good
Republican will be promoted to the
position, as there seems to be wofu
scarcity of Democratic material suitable
for such responsible place. Secretary
Lamar is now quietly casting about for {
successor to the vacancy, or rather
should say Mr.. Cleveland is doing so fol
him, as the members of the Cabinet are
merely clerks themselves, whose bust
ness it is to register the imperious will
of their chief.
Mr.. Frederick Douglass has returned
from long and delightful tour of Eu.
rope, and he is full of interesting remi.
niscences of the trip. He was every
where well received and Hospitality en-
tertained. Nowhere" Mr.. Douglass
said, "by single word, look or gesture
was disapproval expressed of my color
or the kinks in my hair, and have had
a most pleasant and agreeable time dur
ing my stay abroad"
The shameful story of Naval Surgeon
Crawford and his fair and youthful vic
tim has been told in the city police
court and aroused general indignation
against the principal, who is known as
''the mash of the naval hospital" though
no decision is yet reached. During the
progress of the trial there has been out
rageous elimination and re-crimination
between the judge and counsel on both
sides. The judge was charged In open
court with pre.judging the case, and
there came near being a challenge to
mortal combat by the United States
District Attorney and opposing counsel